They’re called hubs and they’re popping up in areas outside the downtown core where services are sorely lacking.

The Hub - Mid Scarborough, a United Way facility, provides a multitude of services to the needy living in the area of Eglinton-Brimley, including access to health care.

By:Donovan VincentStaff Reporter, Published on Fri Oct 01 2010

They’re called hubs and they’re popping up in areas outside the downtown core where services are sorely lacking.

Over the next year and a bit, the United Way is establishing eight of these hubs in places like Bathurst and Finch, Dorset Park in Scarborough, and Crescent Town, near Victoria Park and Danforth Ave. They will operate in parts of the city identified as priority communities, areas that face challenges with crime, poverty, or unemployment, and have a woeful lack of services.

Think of the hubs as multi-purpose centres, large indoor facilities where a multitude of agencies offer a variety of services — all under one roof. Everything from counselling for seniors, to meeting space for youth, primary health care, settlement services, diabetes outreach, and help learning how to shop for and cook affordable meals.

These hubs will allow people in need of these services to access them without often having to travel downtown, says Lorraine Duff, director of community resources for the United Way.

They’ll also provide community space for users to convene, meet their neighbours, and just “be’’ explains Duff.

“One of the biggest things we learned from our research is there’s just no available space in these communities. It’s a big problem, so that’s a big part of what we’re doing,’’ Duff says.

One of the hubs, a large airy and inviting facility in Scarborough on Eglinton Ave. E., near Brimley, opened earlier this year, while the seven others will be up and running either later this year, next year or early 2012.

Total capital investments from all partners, including United Way Toronto, the province, the city, private donations and other sources, amounts to approximately $30 million so far.

Location: 21 Panorama Court

Demographic breakdown: Jamestown has a large share of residents who have neither certificates, college diplomas nor degrees. Many residents in the area live in highrises. Among the top three ethnic communities in terms of size, South Asian is first, followed by Caribbean and African, and Punjabi is spoken by 11 per cent of residents, second to English. The percentage of children in the area (24 per cent of the population) is higher than the Toronto average (16 per cent).

Key needs: According to the lead agency for the hub, a consultation process with the community identified the area’s critical needs as services for newcomers such as nutrition counselling and programs to manage and combat diabetes. In addition, those community consultations called for services for seniors and youth, as well as single mothers.

Location: 1541 Jane St.

Demographic breakdown: Mount Dennis has a high percentage of children ages newborn to four, and five to 14. Similar to Jamestown, the area also has a higher percentage of people with no certificate, university degree or college diploma. In 2006, a total of 23 per cent of residents matched that description, compared to Toronto’s rate of 18 per cent. Perhaps as a result, the area’s unemployment rate was one per cent higher than Toronto’s. The area has a large number of individuals and families from the Somali community.

Demographic breakdown: Bathurst-Finch contains large pockets of high needs areas. With a large Russian-speaking population, 72 per cent of residents are immigrants, as compared to Toronto’s 50 per cent. The community also has large concentrations of highrises. In fact, 77 per cent of the dwellings there are in highrises, compared to Toronto’s 39 per cent.

Key needs: Access to community space for group workshop activities, and one-on-one services like health care and counselling. There is a high need for affordable space for not-for-profit organizations to do their work. There are a lot of highly-trained but underemployed newcomers in the area, and settlement services are also in high demand.

Location: Possibilities still being discussed

Demographic breakdown: Compared to the city average, Steeles-L’Amoureaux has a higher share of people who speak neither French nor English when compared to the rest of the city. Chinese languages rank second behind English in terms of what is most commonly spoken in the area. Children make up about 20 per cent of the population.

Key needs: Services for youth, seniors and newcomers.

Location: 1911 Kennedy Rd.

Demographic breakdown: With a total population of 24,000, Dorset Park has a larger share of recent immigrants than the Toronto average. Tamil ranks second to English as the most common language spoken in the area, and 45 per cent of dwellings are in highrises.

Key needs: There is a tremendous amount of poverty in this part of Scarborough, say community workers behind the Dorset Park Hub. Employment resources, newcomer settlement support, mental health counselling, child and family programs, and ESL programs are critical needs for the area. The hub will operate a community kitchen to help newcomers understand how to access food that is available on a tight budget, and how to cook it.

Location: 1527 Victoria Park Ave.

Demographic breakdown: With a population of about 17,000 people, Victoria Village has a fairly high percentage of seniors (18 per cent) compared to Toronto (14 per cent). Single parent-led homes account for about 35 per cent of the population (Toronto’s rate is 30 per cent).

Key needs: With a poverty rate that is higher than the city average and its large population of seniors, support for that demographic is a key focus, say community workers. Another critical concern in the area is the lack of affordable space for community services such as support for victims of domestic abuse, newcomers and youth. Help finding jobs is another key area.

Location: 2660 Eglinton Ave. E.

Demographic breakdown: The hub is serving the Eglinton East, Kennedy Park community, which has a high percentage of children (20 per cent of residents). Nearly 40 per cent of families with children are headed by single parents. In terms of ethnic origins, South Asians are the largest group, followed by East and Southeast Asians, and Europeans.

Key needs: The rate of diabetes is very high in this area, and there is also a dire need for mental health services. The same goes for dental services. In addition, many adults in the area are taking care of seniors, be they parents, grandparents, uncles or aunts. Primary care is an important need, so physicians, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, and foot specialists are all part of a team operating out of the hub.

Location: 3079 Danforth Ave.

Demographic breakdown: The Crescent Town community has a much greater share of residents living in highrises including Teesdale, an area known for a series of buildings in disrepair near Danforth and Victoria Park, where poverty and crime are recurring issues. The area has a much greater share of recent immigrants than the Toronto average.

Key needs: Access to health care for newcomers. There is also a shortage of space available for meetings held by community groups, individuals and small agencies. “There’s nothing in the community,’’ says Nahom Berhane, a community development worker with Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, the lead agency behind the hub. Access to computers, especially for youth, is another problem in the area, and a resource centre in the hub will offer computers for young people doing their homework, as well as anyone searching for employment.

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